The Mighty Quinns: Devin (16 page)

Mary shook her head, tears flooding her eyes. “I've always meant to, but the time never seemed right. And now, I can't possibly reveal the truth because he'll never forgive me.”

Elodie slid over and put her arm around Mary's shoulders. “And this has come up because of the inheritance? Because this son that you gave away deserves his share, as well?”

Mary nodded. “With the money, I could find him, hire detectives.”

“My father would know where he is.”

“I couldn't ask him. I promised we'd never speak of it again.”

“I could ask. I could make him tell me.”

“If we just found out where he was, then I could give the information to Mr. Stephens and he could send him a check. I'd never have to say anything to Devin.”

Elodie took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “Mary, I think he deserves the truth. He has a brother. If it were me, I'd want to know.”

“And would you hate me for keeping the secret for so long?”

Elodie shook her head. “I might be angry for a little while. But I'd come to understand eventually.”

“Do you really believe your father will reveal where my son went?”

“I'm going to have to pay him a visit. It's not something I can ask over the phone, but yes, I'll get the answer.”

Mary gave her a hug, followed by a wavering smile. “Will you be there when I tell Devin?”

“Of course.”

“I never had a daughter, but I often thought of you as my own. I was there for most of your childhood. I helped you through the rough teenage years. And when you and Devin found each other all those years ago, I hoped that it would last and that someday, you'd be a part of our family. But if you can't be my daughter, then I'm happy to call you my friend.”

Elodie took Mary's hand. “Well, friend, let's go out and see if we can find you a pretty spot for your flower shop.”

They decided to walk downtown, enjoying the warm, breezy day. But as they chatted about Mary's plans, Elodie couldn't put aside the revelations that Dev's mother had made. She had no idea how Dev might react. Unlike her, he'd never had cause to question his loyalty to his family.

So many things had been tipped upside down in their lives. What would be next?

 

9

D
EV
SAT
ON
the front steps of the mansion on Wisteria Street. He stared out at a pair of pedestrians walking a small dog and recognized the high school principal and his wife. They waved and he returned the gesture.

“Look at that. Their lives go on, as they have day after day, and they blindly believe that everything is right with the world. And they have no idea that there are volcanoes and missiles and tsunamis just over the horizon.”

Elodie rested her head against his shoulder. “I know it's a lot to take in, but I have to say that I admire the way you handled your mother. She was so scared of how you might react to the news.”

“I'm the last one to question her choices. She's always put me above everything else. I'm just surprised that she could have given my brother away.”

“I suspect my father put a great deal of pressure on her and she didn't have the strength to fight him. He held all the cards—her job, her house, your future.”

“I had no idea,” he said.

“I wonder what other secrets they're keeping from us,” Elodie murmured.

“You think there's something else?”

“I don't know. But I'm going to find out. My father is going to be in New York this weekend. And I need to go back anyway and talk to some potential donors for the gallery. I have a ticket for tomorrow afternoon.”

Dev slipped his arm around her shoulders. “I don't want you to go.”

She reached out and touched his cheek. “When were you going to tell me about the zoning decision? Mary mentioned that they weren't going to be ruling in my favor and that everyone in town knows about it.”

Dev glanced away, shaking his head. “I wasn't going to say anything until I tried to change their minds. Now that I have all this money, I figured a few well-placed bribes might do the trick.”

“I hope you're kidding,” Elodie said.

“Not at all. I'm pretty sure that's how your father got things done around town.”

“Well, you don't have to commit a crime on my behalf. I've decided to sell the house. I've got some buyers interested and I think they'll meet my counteroffer. It's just too much for me to care for, and the mill is probably a better location for the gallery anyway.”

“I could always buy it,” Dev suggested.

Elodie drew back, sending him a look of disbelief. “What would you do with a house this big?”

“Live in it. Fix it up. If you aren't going to be around, I'll need to have something to do with my spare time.”

“Maybe you'll find another girlfriend,” Elodie said.

“Is that what you were? Were you my girlfriend?”

Though he'd made his tone light, the questions were serious. Was this how it would end? Would she leave for New York and never return? He was almost afraid to ask about her plan for fear that his interest might drive her away.

She'd given up on the gallery at the mansion, but had she given up on everything else? “Maybe I will,” Dev said. “And if I find one, this fancy house will go a long way to impressing her, don't you think?” He paused. “And there is that cold steel countertop on a hot summer night. It's one of my favorite features.”

She laughed, but Dev wasn't going to tell her that he wasn't kidding. He didn't want the mansion to be sold to strangers. This was their house—his and Elodie's—and he wanted to build a future here. Maybe she didn't see it yet, but Dev had to have faith that she would sooner or later. It might not be for a week or a month or maybe even a year, but she'd realize that she loved him and she'd be back. He wanted the house to be waiting for them both.

“When do you think you'll be home again?” he asked.

She was silent for a long time. “I can't answer that. If I can't come up with a viable plan for the mill, if I can't convince enough people to invest, then I might never come back. Not to live. I have to be able to make a living here.”

“You don't,” he said. “You could live with me. We could use my inheritance to buy a business for you to run.”

“That money is yours,” she said. “Can you imagine what people would say? A Winchester finds yet another way to steal someone's money. I'll visit. And you'll come to see me. It's not a perfect plan, but we could make it work.”

Dev ought to have been satisfied with what she offered. It was better than no contact at all. As long as they still found time to be together, he still had a chance to convince her that life could be good in Winchester.

“What are you going to do? For work?”

“The gallery I used to work for wants to rehire me. And it's decent there. I've got a lot of contacts. If I can find someone who wants to invest in the mill, then I'll come back. It's not like we'll never see each other again. We're adults. There are planes that fly between Asheville and New York. Three hours.”

“It won't be the same,” he said.

Elodie shook her head. “It won't be. But it will still be good. I promise.” She stood up and pulled him to his feet. “Come on. You can keep me company while I pack.”

“No,” Dev said. “I'm not going to watch you pack. I'd do almost anything to make you happy, but I draw the line at that.” He sighed softly. “I almost wish you hadn't come home. I was fine with my life before you showed up. I was relatively happy. I understood where I belonged and I was content. But now, you've changed all of that.”

“I know what you want, Dev. And I'd like to believe that we could live here, happily ever after. But the town has already rejected me. And if we were together, they'd start to hate you, too. This is not the place for us. And I'm not sure where that place would be.”

Dev stood up. “I'm going to take a walk.”

“I'll come with you,” Elodie said.

“No, you have to pack.” He bent close and kissed her forehead. “I'll be back, I promise. This might be the last night we spend together in a long time.”

The expression on her face betrayed her concern. She didn't think he'd return. In truth, Dev wasn't sure he could. She seemed so casual about leaving, as if it would have no effect at all on their happiness. Dev wanted to grab her and give her a good shake, to shout at her and tell her that she was walking away from something great and wonderful. Something so precious that it didn't come along often.

He pulled her into his arms and gave her a fierce hug. There was so much he wanted to say. But it seemed the harder he tried to convince her, the more she pulled away. She couldn't admit that she needed him. But then, maybe she didn't. He jogged down the front walk and headed downtown, setting a leisurely pace. It was nearly 10:00 p.m. on a weeknight but a cool breeze and full moon had brought people out for late strolls.

He recognized everyone he met on the street. Every name. He knew their families, their professions, their addresses. He knew the names of their dogs and their kids. Dev had made his life about saving the town of Winchester. People had trusted him to have an idea of what was best for the citizens, and he'd served them with honor.

What would happen if someone else took over, someone not so ethical? Everything that he'd accomplished would be destroyed and the town would be left to wither and die like so many other industrial towns.

He walked up and down Main Street, smiling to himself as he thought about his boyhood, when Main Street had bustled with business and there hadn't been an empty storefront to be seen. It could be like that again. He could make it happen.

But now Dev realized that he didn't want to do it alone. He needed Elodie by his side, focused on the same goals and ambitions, there to pick him up when he felt down and to celebrate his successes. Was he being selfish to want her with him? Maybe so, but he had to believe that deep down inside, she wanted the same thing.

As he continued his walk, the streets grew empty and when the midnight bell from the Episcopalian Church rang twelve, he knew it was time to head back to the house.

She'd left the light on and the front door open. He slipped inside and locked the door behind him, then walked through the empty rooms, switching off the lights as he went. Slowly, he climbed the stairs and slipped into her room. The bedside lamp was on, the shade covered by a silk scarf, creating a romantic atmosphere.

She was already asleep, the thin cotton sheet outlining her naked body beneath. Dev stood at the door for a long time, watching her, memorizing every detail of her face until he was certain he could re-create it perfectly in his mind.

She stirred, rolling onto her side and kicking her leg out from beneath the sheets. Dev walked to the bed and sat down on the edge. Reaching out, he brushed a pale tendril of hair away from her temple. He bent close and pressed a kiss to the spot where her hair had been. And when he drew back, her eyes were open.

“You're back,” she murmured. “I wasn't sure you'd come.”

“I said I would,” Dev replied. He stood and slowly stripped off his clothes. She held up the sheet, and he crawled in beside her.

For a long while they didn't speak, just held each other. Finally, Elodie rolled over and braced her arms on his chest, looking at him in the darkened room. Moonlight streaming through the window outlined her profile, and Dev reached out and traced the shape of her mouth with his fingertip.

“I love you,” she said. “You need to know that. I've never loved anyone like I love you. But I'm not sure what that means. I wish I could make sense of it because then you wouldn't be so sad.”

“I'm not going anywhere,” Dev said. “And when you figure it all out, I'll be here, waiting. Or you can call and I'll come to you. Because I love you, Ellie. I have from that first time we spoke at the Christmas party. You were the most interesting, beautiful, clever girl I'd ever met and I knew we were meant to be together. I still believe that.”

She leaned forward and kissed him, sweetly at first. But then Dev wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her beneath him, settling his hips between her legs. This was where he belonged. Wherever she was, that was home to him. Someday, she'd understand and then he'd believe her words of love.

* * *

T
HE
RESTAURANT
WAS
packed with lunchtime diners as Elodie wove her way through the tables. As she approached, her father, Frederick Winchester, stood. His expression was unreadable and she wondered what was going through his head.

She'd never demanded an audience with her father. In the Winchester family, her father was the only one who did the demanding. In truth, she was surprised he'd agreed to come. But then, maybe there were some things that he intended to say. The maître d' pulled out the chair for her, and she leaned forward and kissed her father's cheek before she sat. “Hello, Daddy. You look well.”

He was dressed in an impeccably tailored suit and an expensive silk shirt that showed off his tan. He looked remarkably young and vibrant for a man of nearly sixty-five years. Elodie wondered if he might have had some plastic surgery recently.

“I've lost some weight. Your mother took me to court again on her maintenance. I can't afford to eat out as much as I used to.”

“It's probably better for you,” Elodie said. “At least it's healthier. How is Mom?”

“Fine,” he said. “She's dating some golf pro. He's taught her how to play. Can you imagine your mother out on a golf course, swinging a club? There was a time when she would have considered that type of man beneath her.”

“Times change, Daddy. Are you dating anyone?”

Frederick held up his hand, and when the waiter approached, he ordered another martini on the rocks. “What can I get you?”

“Wine,” she said to the waiter. “A bottle of your best pinot noir.”

“Well, there you go. Let's you and I spend the afternoon getting ourselves thoroughly pissed.” He took a long drink of his martini, then popped the olive in his mouth. “You look good. Got a bit of sun. Have you been on vacation?”

“Actually, I've spent the last couple of months in Winchester.”

At first, her father seemed stunned. Then, he laughed. “Why would you spend a minute of your time in that place?”

“You forget, I got the house in the settlement. I'm trying to figure out what to do with it.”

“And what have you decided?”

“I'm going to sell it. But the mill is also still on the market. The bank owns that. It's a shame, really, because it would make a great retail space. Carved up into shops and workshops it could be quite nice.”

“Who in that town can afford to shop?”

“No one,” she said. “Thanks to you and my brothers. But things are changing. Slowly.”

“You're wasting your time, Ellie, no matter what you're doing in that town.” Her father studied her for a long moment. “Wait. Don't tell me. You've hooked up with that punk. That Cassidy kid. Is that why you went?”

Elodie took a slow sip of her wine. “He's not a kid anymore, Daddy. He's a full-grown man. And still as wonderful as he always was.”

“He's beneath you, Elodie. He always has been, always will be. You deserve someone who can make your life comfortable, not some townie.”

“Rather than someone who can make my life happy?” She smiled wryly. “How did being ‘comfortable' work out for you? Did you hear that Mary and Dev Cassidy are both wealthier than you are now? Huge inheritance from a lost aunt in Ireland. It was quite the news around town.”

“Well, well. Maybe he can lend me a few thousand.”

“After what you took away from him, I doubt that will be happening.”

Her father studied her for a long moment. “What are you talking about?”

“Mary's baby. Devin Cassidy's younger brother.”

“Mary agreed never to talk about that. But then, I suppose she doesn't have a reason to keep her secrets anymore.”